The mood was tense in the senate committee room as Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion was interrogated about the Coalition's rejection of a parliamentary indigenous advisory body.
Mr Scullion told Senate Estimates on Friday the recommendation had little chance of gaining public approval and that was the reason the government rejected it.
However critics say it's a major setback for reconciliation.
Senator Pat Dodson was outraged at what he saw as the government's lack of due process.
"This is a 200-year history here, where we have been trying to get a reconciliation, a re-establishment of our relationship with the first people in this country."
"Legislating a voice into existence has been foreclosed upon by the position the cabinet has taken."
But Senator Scullion said the recommendation would have a "snowball's chance in hell" of being approved by the Australian public in a referendum.
Labor and Greens senators questioned whether Mr Scullion had suffient consultation with Indigenous communities before Parliament's rejection of the proposal was announced.
Mr Scullion revealled he only had one meeting with Indigenous bodies in regards to the government's response to the proposal since the recommendation was handed down.
The proposal for a representative body was put to the government by Indigenous representatives at the Indigenous Summit in May this year at Uluru.
The Referendum Council is now accusing Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull of simply failing to listen to Aboriginal people.
Pat Anderson, a member of the Council, said she is extremely disappointed with the government's response.
"Well it's been a kick in the guts for us all. Number one of our terms of reference was to go out and ask Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people what we want. We told him and he said, 'Nup, we're not doing that'. Why ask us?"
Indigenous leaders say it's set the reconciliation process back years.
An observation with which the minister appeared to agree, saying: "it is sad that we appear to be starting again but that is as it is."
